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Cogitation

Generations who pave the way

By Jo McCormickMadrid Resident

Residents of Golden Ours, Park Ridge and other homes that accommodate the elderly and their families made the history that paved the way for future generations to live here. I personally feel it’s a good thing they endured what they had to because I doubt many of my generation or any younger generations could have done so. Here in rural Nebraska, we have statistics like many other rural area geriatric care facilities, I suppose. These various stats are what make a close-knit “family and friends” atmosphere. 1. Considering a 50-mile radius of Grant as being local; (from the mid-1980s to the year 2008) 75 percent of the nursing home census was local. 2. Several residents had a parent who lived at Golden Ours in past years. 3. Several residents had a sibling living at Golden Ours before them. 4. Several residents who at one time were employed by the hospital or nursing home have lived or are living the end of their life times at Golden Ours. 5. Activities provide many opportunities for families to be involved in their resident’s nursing home life. Our 2002 cookbook publication had tremendous support from families and friends of the nursing home and assisted living residents. Several recipes from two previous cookbooks compiled in the early 1980s and the late 1980s were included in memory of former residents. Relationships between the present residents to former residents were noted on their recipes. Several families included interesting personal notes when they submitted recipes for a family member. Katheryn Brown, a current resident of Golden Ours, and family had five generations of recipes in the book. Former resident, Alice Beachell, was Katheryn’s mother. Alice had a recipe submitted to honor her. Also submitting recipes were two daughters, three granddaughters and four great-granddaughters. Marlene Kramer and family contributed four generations of recipes. Marlene, her mother, her daughter and her granddaughter have selections in the book. Marlene no longer resides at Golden Ours. Mary Courtney had all four daughters submit recipes for themselves and Mary. Mary is no longer living. Her daughter, Patsy, one of the recipe contributors, spent her final days at Golden Ours. Ella Bush was 101 years old in 2002. She personally verbally gave me her recipe for Ann Landers’ meatloaf. I tried it at home just to be sure her memory was A-okay. Her vinegar pie was a favorite of Ella and her sibling growing up. It was a substitute for lemon pie, vinegar being a staple, lemons not so much. A granddaughter submitted several recipes to honor Ella. She well remembered her grandma being an excellent cook. Ella passed away in 2007 at the age of 105, just short of her 106th birthday. She was still involved in the activities of “Our Place.” As a suffix to the last statement, “Our Place” is under a reorganization process and I, as a volunteer, and other activity and nursing staff are hoping to get it going again. The need for such is greater now than it was even in 2005 at its conception. I feel so blessed to be able to be a volunteer in the facility I worked in, GOCH, and the one in which I am now living, Park Ridge. My direction comes from Psalm 32:8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” If “I Am” is willing, I will be back next month.